Students arrested, accused of setting up GoFundMe page to raise ammo money for school shooting

Authorities arrested two teens last week in connection with threats made to Combs High School in San Tan Valley, Arizona, including the reported creation of a GoFundMe account set up for the purpose of buying ammunition to “shoot up” the school.

What kind of threats were made?

School officials called the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office to investigate after two 15-year-olds were allegedly overheard by another student while discussing the prospect of bringing a gun to the school.

Authorities said one of the accused threatened to file the serial number off a gun and use it in a shooting at Combs, and that the second teen assisted the first in setting up the GoFundMe account.

“The site explained that ammunition was expensive and they needed help to shoot up Combs High School,” Pinal County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Navideh Forghani said in a statement, KNXV-TV reported.

While deputies said the first student did not have access to weapons, they said the second student did. The second student also claimed to have been present when the GoFundMe account was created, but told investigators he did not know who created it.

Then what happened?

Authorities arrested both teens and charged them with conspiracy to commit terrorism and interference or disruption of an educational institution.

Deputies say the GoFundMe account has been removed.

In a statement released Monday, a GoFundMe spokesperson said:

The campaign raised no funds and has been removed from the platform. Additionally, the campaign organizer has been banned from using the GoFundMe platform. It is against GoFundMe’s terms of service to raise funds on our platform to buy ammunition or firearms.

The Combs High School student newspaper, Combs Courier, reported Friday that roughly 300 students participated in a walkout intended to support recent school shooting victims. The article made no mention of any potential threats to Combs, but focused on the differing intentions of those who were in attendance: some students urged for stricter gun control laws, while others chanted, “We want guns.”

School administration reportedly attended the event for the purpose of assuring the safety of students and appropriateness during the walkout.